Update 2: Antlerlust



...What are those?
Oh? Are you not familiar with JRM and Associates?!
Can't say that I am.
They make the finest quality automatons in the world, and my shipment of their latest model of Byeahs has arrived!
Byeahs.
I had initially planned to make them my traveling companions, but now, they shall serve as our resource gatherers! Also, tremble in fear, at their instructions!
Thank you for your purchase of this JRM and Associates Byeah Automaton. The Byeah is equipped with the following functions:

1) The ability to vocalize one of seven hundred and fifty variations on "byeah"
2) The ability to gather materials from the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, at the rough efficiency of a well-trained Survivalist
Byeah.
That's... That's fantastic. Can you please get them out of my sight as soon as possible? Possibly doing something useful?
Success! You are terrified!
So, the Byeahs. They're special this time. And by special I mean they have cheated-in abilities.

Despite being level 1, they have Take, Chop, Mine, and Stalker all at level 10. I don't think anyone is really going to object to this.


This is what a level 10 gathering skill does.

A certain shop's request only requires one Hardwood, by the way. If you don't have any gathering skills available, Hardwood's still pretty easy to get from this specific gathering point.


The Super Byeahs might not be totally legit, but they do save me a boatload of time.

Leaf Coat (+9 DEF, +1 AGI) is made from 1 Poison Wing (Venomfly normal) and 2 Twining Ivies (1st Stratum Chop 2). Costs 90 en.

Hide Glove (+5 DEF, +1 STR) is made from 1 Twining Ivy (1st Stratum Chop 2) and 3 Soft Hides (Clawed Mole normal/Tree Rat rare). Costs 60 en.

Red Charm (+20 TP, +3 AGI) is made from 1 Red Fruit (1st Stratum Chop 3). Costs 350 en.

Blaze/Freeze/Shock Oil (Adds fire/ice/volt to one party member's normal attacks for 6 turns) is made from 1 Red Fruit (1st Stratum Chop 3). Costs 150 en.

One more Byeah trip, and I should be set for quite a while.


And this is the party I'll be going with for B2F.
An all-around solid composition. Ladette is going to help deal with most of the major threats.

With quite a lot of money to spare, I outfitted everyone with full armor and the best weapons possible at this point. Even if armor isn't that good in EOU, if you have disposable income, why not?








Keep up the good work, everyone.
Early quests don't give Valerie much to say.
This is ultimately a remake of EO1, which isn't exactly known for dialogue variety.







This guy shows up when we accept The leathersmith's favor.
You took the job from the leather crafter too, huh? Leather's pretty important, isn't it? All this town's basic necessities come from the Labyrinth. It's good business for adventurers like you and me. I'm gonna finish my drink and head down myself. Soft pelts... Clawed Moles and Tree Rats should do the trick.
Tree Rats have a whopping 15% chance of dropping Soft Pelts, so good luck with that.


Y'know... I enjoy getting to punch monsters... But can we, like, take a break? Go back and get some sleep? These things're...kinda heavy.
We're not stopping until we get all these damn hides.
Judith, I think you're a great leader, from the few minutes you've been one, but... Why are we trying to skin rats for leather?
I was grinding for Soft Hides for so long that the party got a level up.

...Whoops. I hadn't actually invested everyone's skill points yet.

Judith's build is a bit aimless. I had her put Raging Edge at 4, and then toss the rest of the points in Sword Mastery.
Luckily, Raging Edge is perfectly serviceable for the entire game so Judith is already pretty set for personal damage for single targets.

Vince is all in on Front Guard.
Protector doesn't really need much else besides Front Guard and the Walls for a decent chunk of the game.

Five points in Katana Mastery, and two points in Horse Slash for Momoe.

I want Analysis as soon as possible for Katya, but I also had her put an extra three points in Fire Formula.

Ladette put Gun Mastery up to 7, which unlocked Penetrator--a skill I very thoroughly do not care about.

Also I finally got three Soft Hides.
This gets so, so much worse later on. A lategame quest of this type was easily the low point of the game for me.








Keep up the good work.
...What, that's it?
Sometimes more says less.
Like how a prized horse's head's a good way'a persuadin' someone, right, Vinny?
Ahm, y-yup.
I prefer fish heads from personal ponds, though. Gives off a more memorable smell.





With her current armor and VIT, Judith subtracts about 2 from any base amount of damage, before skill damage modifiers are applied. With the Jerkin, with an extra 7 armor DEF, she'd subtract 5.

Yeah armor's kind of ass in EOU. VIT matters a lot more for physical damage, and TEC is basically almost all-encompassing for defense against elemental damage.


Bone Axe (+33 ATK) is made from 3 Beast Bones (Clawed Mole rare) and 2 Beetle Whiskers (Claw Beetle normal). Costs 200 en.

Jerkin (+11 DEF) is made from 1 Beetle Whisker (Claw Beetle normal) and 5 Soft Hides (Clawed Mole normal/Tree Rat rare). Costs 130 en.


Once we walk further and then press A on the event tile:

Not really seeing how this stuff's holy.
Ooh, I've got an idea. Hey, Katya, do you think you can bless this stuff?
Uhh, no?
Oh, really? You looked so heavenly that I assumed you were sent from...heaven... Uh, wait.
Should probably workshop your lines.


This also happened.


Oh, welcome back. Can I assume that your return means you've collected the ingredients I asked for?
Three rat teeth-- Fangs. Rat fangs.
Thank you very much. Now I can make some fertilizer out of this and keep raising vegetables.
What kinds'a vegetables?
Oh, several. Carrots, cabbage, tomatoes... They all go into the meals I serve to my customers. Running the inn has a lot of hidden costs, so I need to save money when I can.
Should you really be sharing inn finances with its guests?
Oh, sorry. I may have said too much. The reward for this job is at the pub, so please go get it there. Thank you for your hard work.









The client was the first person to discover this water in the Labyrinth. He was attacked by monsters and at the verge of death when he crawled to the water for one last drink. But then, he suddenly felt a surge of inner strength...and he was able to make it back to town on his own.
It's just water!
It just looks like normal water to me...
Exactly!
But to him, I'm sure it's Holy Water.
...I...can't win, can I.
I'm sure he'll be happy to see this. Thank you, everyone. Still, maybe that water really does have mystical powers...
No it doesn't.
Haha, I'm just kidding.














So, you've finished the boy's request?
I still don't really get how rat fangs make fertilizer... Oh, right, yeah, done. It's done.
He's been busy lately, what with all the adventurers in town. Well, so have I, haven't I? In any event, here's your reward.


Hey, look, garbage for me to drop off at Shilleka's for some extra money.





I went into B2F very briefly off-screen, so we have some new quests open.

Collect Nectar ingredients!:
Oh, you're taking this quest? Thank you. This quest is from Shilleka's Goods. She's been running low on materials to make Nectar. Why don't you go ask her what she needs from you? Good luck!
Getting Nectars in stock at Shilleka's is in our interest, so I'll get on that.

Looking for memories:
Oh, decided to take that request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. This client is a young lady who often heads into the Labyrinth on business. Apparently, she was attacked by a terrifying deer and had to flee. She did escape unharmed, thank goodness, but she dropped her basket that she uses to collect flowers. If it was any other basket, she'd just forget about it, but this was a present from her grandmother. So... She dropped it in the southwest of B2F, on the path used by a powerful deer. It might be scary, but as long as you're careful, you should be okay. Good luck!
This one's pretty easy to take care of.

Get rich quick I:
Decided to take that request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. Do you know of a place you can chop in the forest?
Two of 'em.
The client wants to know where it is. He's here in this pub. Why don't you go talk to him directly? He has a reputation for being somewhat difficult, but I'm sure you can handle him.


I can take care of bar patrons and the quest at the same time!

Portly merchant:
Hm? What is it you want? I don't have time to waste right now.
Hey, guido, we're the ones that took your request.
Ooh! So you're the courageous ones who took on my request! Let's get down to business, then. As I said, I don't have time to waste. Could you tell me of a place on B1F where you can chop? I hear you can sell what you get from chopping and make a tidy profit... Heh heh.
...
Er, sorry. You don't need to hear about that. Anyway, a chopping point on B1F. If you find one, come talk to me and point it out on your map to me.
Okay then, let's talk again.
Ah, it's you. Have you found a place on B1F where I can chop?


Yeah, right there.
There, eh? Fantastic! I'll send someone to scout out that location.


...You sent him to the out-of-the-way one on purpose, yeah?
Yep. Very perceptive of ya.
Heh heh, I like that. You're good, Ladette.


The spot you told me of is most definitely a place to chop! Now I have to hurry there and get chopping! I left the reward with the pub's owner, so go get it from her! Now, excuse me!


Let's do the other patrons before we turn the quest in.

Odd-clothed mixer:
You're an adventurer who does business with us, right?
Shilleka's? Yeah, we might buy goods from her and sell goods to her.
Adventurers are our livelihood. Have you been finding materials in the forest? I hear you need certain skills to find some rare items. If you find something rare, please bring it to the shop! I've got... plans. For example, if I had Tiny Petal, I could make Medica II. Or Bravant with Crabapple... And with some Amber Lump, I could make Nectar. Adventurers need stuff like that, right? I'd like to sell it, but the ingredients are so hard to come by... So if you want a lot of Nectar, please sell a lot of the ingredients back to the shop. I hope to do more business with you in the future.
Adventurer in shiny armor:
Oh, man... The forest is scary! I got tired of walking around B1F, so I headed on down to B2F. Suddenly a Forest Hare came out of nowhere and hit me with ice! It really hurt! How does a rabbit throw ice?! I mean, sure, it could kick me, but ice?! That doesn't make any sense! ...And then the Venomfly got a turn, and it went and used Poison Dust on me. It didn't hurt that bad, but I didn't have any medicine, so it just kept on hurting... Venomfly? It oughta be named something like "Miseryfly"! The forest's a scary place... I shoulda listened to my Pa...
We never see this guy again, so I guess he gave up at B2F.

Scarred protector:
Oh, you're... novice adventurers, correct? Ha, I can tell just by looking at your equipment. You're clearly still not used to being in the forest. Have you run into any monsters that are much more powerful than the others? Let me give you a warning. You shouldn't try to take on the Ragelope on B2F. It is, of course, very strong, but the most troublesome thing about it is its Baffling Step. Those who see that dance will become confused, and be unable to tell friend from foe. Being attacked from behind by an ally... Not a pleasant thought, is it? Well, it moves around simply, so if you pay attention, you should be able to avoid fighting it. Good luck, rookies.
Telling us about FOEs before we encounter one, eh?

Maiden in a white coat:
Ugh, I can't take it anymore. All these monsters are knocking new adventurers down left and right... The clinic's been so busy lately. According to patients, a really tough monster can hit multiple people... Veterans should bind their arms or use ailments to deal with them. You should be careful, too. *sigh* I just hope that the number of adventurers being defeated by Zebratherium goes down. Then I'll get more time to rest...
Good thing we've got our own personal doc.
An' me. This shield's good for more than show, y'know.
Still value the doc more.


Man of many piercings:
Hey, you! Yo! Have you heard?
...Yes?
I see... You knew... You knew that you know, and I haven't even asked you what you knew yet... Yeah, huh? I mean, running boulders. Anybody who's been down in the forest would know about that. But still... The Labyrinth is crazy.
Running boulders. Running boulders, what have I gotten myself into.








Materials you can obtain through chopping are rare, and worth a good amount of money. You should try it out. Still, I wonder if that man will be all right on his own...? He's just an ordinary townsperson. I hope he doesn't get reckless out there in the Labyrinth... At any rate, thank you. Here's your reward.


Eh.





Judith levels up Sword Mastery to level 5, which nets her Blinding Slap. I'm thoroughly uninterested.
Everyone's favorite milestone: massive disappointment!

More Front Guard for Vince.

Momoe leveled Horse Slash to 3, which unlocked Flame Grater.

Level 5 Formula Mastery for Katya means the tier 2 Formulas. I don't anticipate using these that much.

Still working on the good stuff for Ladette.

When we walk into Shilleka's, she starts talking to us immediately.
Huh? Oh, t'job about my Nectar? Y'took it? Oh, t'anks so much! T'at'll be a big help! Nectar is somet'in y'explorers are always usin' when y'get hurt! But I wasn't paying attention t'me stock, and I ran outta Amber Lump. Amber Lump is a rare item t'at can be taken. I t'ink it'll be easier for folks who're good at takin'. I just need you to do t'usual. Get t'at Nectar Lump and sell it t'me. I only need one!
We'll start seeing Take points on B2F. I'll need the Byeahs to grab Amber Lumps for me, but that won't be too hard.


Okay, let's finally get going.


Venomflies start showing up in random encounters here.
They're honestly not too bad. They're way scarier in other entries.

Lemme introduce ya to The Left-Hand Rule!
Where in the world did you learn to do those ridiculous jumps to and from the back?
You learn a lotta ridiculous things when you grow up like I did.






Weren't there...supposed to be deer on this floor?
That don't sound like no deer I ever heard...



It lets out an eerie cry as it kicks the ground with its sharp hooves to threaten you! A dreadful enemy unlike any you have yet seen is fast approaching!


For every movement you make, it makes one as well. Consider any FOEs before taking action.
FOEs are a mainstay of the Etrian Odyssey series. They function as mobile minibosses, effectively, that you can see in the field, and which move around on the field. If you run into it, you start fighting it. A lot of puzzles in the Labyrinth are based around avoiding FOEs on the field to progress.

That description of FOE movement is applicable for the Ragelope there, but FOEs can have pretty varied movement patterns in terms of how many steps they take for how many steps we take.

For Ragelopes, specifically, they just endlessly patrol a line of tiles, horizontal or vertical, and turn around when they hit a wall.
oh hey it's a meme


Avoiding this particular Ragelope is just as simple as moving up and immediately going to the left as soon as possible.

Useful if you forgot to buy one, I guess.


Aw, look, that fat rabbit's kinda cute.

Forest Hare

HP: 92
STR: 9
TEC: 10
VIT: 9
AGI: 10
LUC: 8

EXP Given: 65

Skills:
Grimoire Skills:
  • Snow Cover: Uses the head. Deals ranged TEC-based ice damage to one enemy. Has a 70% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99% at all levels.
Drops:Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100%
100% 50% 100%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
150% 50% 100%
Forest Hares can hurt party members quite a bit with Snow Cover, especially ones with low TEC. At least they have high vulnerability to head binds, which Snow Cover uses.
While they won't oneshot anyone, they still hit you pretty hard and are your primary introduction to TEC-based attacks and why Walls or any other source of elemental mitigation are important.

I question how that is cut damage, but whatever.
Maybe it's supposed to be their feet? Who knows.

Hope ya enjoyed a nice glass of Molotov Hooktail, bunny!
Do you really have a silly name for every kinda punch you know?
A silly name? I got a buncha names for the same kinda punch!


What happened to just using a weapon without saying something silly?


Is it really that hard?
Man, the people you fought with in the past must've been some serious wet blankets if you expect that.
Please don't remind me of the past.






Another Ragelope. At the right end of this tunnel is what we need for Looking for memories.

Right here.
It is a basket used to gather flowers. You recall the quest from the florist asking you to retrieve her lost basket. This must be the basket she dropped.


Aw, cute basket.
About the level of cuteness I'd expect from a grandma gift.
The florist's quest has been completed! All that remains is to return the basket to the pub the next time you go there.



The ears? Why shoot for the ears?
Just guessing where the ice comes from.


I'm a pretty lucky guesser.
Either way, head binds are a good way to deal with TEC-based damage. Even if a skill doesn't use the head, a head bind cuts the target's TEC in half, which can hamstring their damage.





New type of locked door. This time it's a white crystal.

Oh hey, another deer.

It's not rocket science to get up this way.
Most FOE avoidance isn't, honestly. There's only a handful of really tricky ones.

B2F A3 Take Point
Again, I'll be sending the Byeahs down here later. And after that, I'll be sending them down here a lot, because it's never a bad idea to have Nectars.


Take a step up from the bottom right when the deer is where it was in the screenshot, and you're golden for going forward.


These guys can show up on B1F, but I didn't see any.

Claw Beetle

HP: 135
STR: 11
TEC: 6
VIT: 9
AGI: 6
LUC: 5

EXP Given: 100

Drops:Damage Vulnerabilities:
75% 75% 100%
150% 150% 150%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
150% 150% 100% 50% 100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
Claw Beetles can deal a fair amount of damage with normal attacks, and resist the common types of physical damage.
These would be annoying if this composition wasn't fairly effective at dealing with them in the first place.

Heh, this armor's cold-proof. ...A-almost.


Do you just cover that in more gunpowder to make it do that?
Already said: Monterey. Family. Secret.








Shortcut here makes for a nice checkpoint.


A...zebra monkey? Weeeeird.

Zebratherium

HP: 240
STR: 13
TEC: 7
VIT: 8
AGI: 7
LUC: 9

EXP Given: 160

Skills:
Grimoire Skills:
  • Arm Hammer: Uses the arms. Deals melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy. Deals splash damage to adjacent targets. Has a 70% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99% at all levels.
Drops:Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 50% 100% 150% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
Zebratheriums have high enough STR to mess up our party members with just normal attacks. Arm Hammer makes it even worse, right down to dealing some damage to adjacent targets, too.
If you're low enough, these can very well oneshot frontliners with Arm Hammer. Probably the first actual dangerous enemy in the game.

It'll take more'n that...t' take down Vicious Vinny.
So that's "Vicious Vinny's Vim and Vigor," huh? I've heard a lot about that. Survived thirty-two bullets from the Olbright Family's state-of-the-art gatling gun during that turf war over in Success Town. The whole group turned tail and ran when they saw this guy here, bleeding out of a bunch of holes and standing there, taking a drink from his flask and scoping out the birds in the sky like nothing was wrong.
...Y-yup.


I hope the monkey enjoyed that story while it could!






This happens as soon as we step on this tile.
Its shape and form is similar to the beasts you have previously encountered, but this one is clearly more powerful... Just as you are wondering how best to handle it, the monster notices you and attacks without hesitation!



Hello, rare breed Clawed Mole!

Random encounters and FOEs have anywhere from a 2% to 3% chance of being rare breeds under normal circumstances. Rare breeds get a massive boost to their speed, and deal increased damage, which keeps going up as the battle goes on. Random encounter rare breeds can also try to flee from the battle randomly.

All of that is not without reward, though!
Welcome to the mechanic that makes grinding in the 3DS entries not an unbearable slog!




Rare breeds give 5x the normal experience of whatever enemy was a rare breed.


It seems that those bathed in that light are stronger than normal. From here on, you must decide carefully whether or not to engage these shining rare breeds.
And then the game lectures me on rare breeds. I will spare you that thing.

The edible-looking fruit makes your mouth water. It would be no trouble to take the fruit and eat it.
Howzabout no? My dad's golden rule was always "never eat wild fruit that looks delicious."
If your dad raised such a lovely woman, I suppose he's worth listening to.
...?
Katya, you even aware you're being hit on?
Hit on by...what? Is there a mole nearby?!
If you choose to have a character eat the fruit, they lose 10 TP.

An intermittent sound is coming from the brush. Something seems to be inside the tall grass before you. You peer futilely into it, wondering whether to chance it or leave the sound alone.
Eh, what's the harm?
As a party leader, Vince pushes back the tall grass.
What the... There's nothing in-- YEAAAAAAAAGH!
Suddenly, Vince feels a sharp pain on the hand! The noise seems to have come from a small snake. After biting Vince's outstretched hand, it slithers off into the forest.


You pull yourselves together and continue on the adventure.


Judging from its color and shape, it doesn't look edible. If you really wish, you can pluck the fruit and eat it.
Now that's my kinda fruit! Everyone, chow down!
Is that really a good-- Mgrk!
C'mon, eat!
Appearances to the contrary, the fruit is fresh and juicy.


I don't get this place.


...!


I-I thought that guy at the bar was just drunkenly rambling!


Worse, the beast is about to launch a deadly charge towards you!
OUT OF THE WAY!


Phew...


It seems that the boar mimics its surroundings until it spies prey, at which point it charges in for a kill. Your party cannot hope to outmatch its speed... You cannot be sure it is the only one of its kind. You must be wary of where you step in this place...
Boulder Boars look like giant rocks until you step into their (fairly short) line of sight, at which point they will aggro, and one turn later, charge at you.
This gimmick is used for some sorta challenging formations later on in the stratum.

As mentioned, there's no way to tell if a rock is just a rock or a Boulder Boar until it's charging at you.

This is one of the few times in the series that I can make use of the FOE icon.


I went back to town to heal up since Katya was completely out of TP and everyone else was close, and...

Wait, why isn't the menu coming up immediately?

Oh. Oh, hello.
What now?
Cute girl, two o'clock!


Wait, wait, I'm almost there!


What the--?! How long have you been standing there?!
Back off, bub! She's mine!
Has your flirting ever actually resulted in something?
...It got me slapped once.
I was just... It was spur of the moment, and... It's nothing, I swear! Ahem! I was merely given the task of guiding that young lady to Radha Hall, and that's exactly what I did. It was a job well done! I'm so busy today, anyway. Lots of stuff to do. Best of luck to you, adventurers!
Huh. To Radha we go, I guess.
Well, here goes...


Just between you and me, if you have the time, I'd like to ask you to perform a mission for me. I have my reasons to keep this mission from the public. If you're interested, come to me to hear the details.
Giving the rookies a mission that's on a need-to-know basis, eh?


This mission is exclusive to Classic.
So, you'll accept this one? Thank you. Allow me to tell you the details. There was an incident where a noble's son was attacked by a monster on one of the higher floors. Thankfully, the boy had a bodyguard on hand, and was not seriously injured. But his parents are enraged and insist that the monster cannot be suffered to live. They have requested us to slay it.
...A revenge mission to heal injured noble pride? Whadda we look like, goons?
Normally, we would put out the call to all explorers, but it seems they wish to keep the matter discreet. As for the monster that attacked the boy, we've had a report that it still wanders the 1st floor unchallenged. Though it's not in the best of shape, having lost an arm in the prior struggle. This is the perfect chance to slay it. You are to kill the one-armed monster on the 1st floor before the chance passes and bring back proof of its death. Though you have no great fame yet as a guild, I think that your skill makes you perfect for the mission. Well then, we'll be counting on you. Good luck in your task.
Okay then.


Shortsword (+35 ATK) is made from 5 Rabbit Teeth (Forest Hare normal). Costs 370 en.

Butterfly Barrel (+30 ATK) is made from 2 Enamel Legs (Venomfly rare) and 5 Steel Snouts (Woodfly rare). Costs 180 en.

Hide Hat (+6 DEF) is made from 2 Soft Hides (Clawed Mole normal/Tree Rat rare) and 1 Tiny Petal (1st Stratum Take 1). Costs 80 en.

Hide Aspis (+8 DEF) is made from 1 Rabbit Tooth (Forest Hare normal) and 8 Soft Hides (Clawed Mole normal/Tree Rat rare). Costs 110 en.

Medica II (Restores 100 HP to one party member) is made from 1 Tiny Petal (1st Stratum Take 1). Costs 100 en.

Analysis Lenses (Adds one enemy's info to the Monstrous Codex) is made from 1 Insect Eye (Woodfly/Venomfly conditional). Costs 250 en.


Why not, I've got money to spare.
We'll need these upgrades.







I'm sure the client will be very happy to see it undamaged. I'll give this basket to the client. Here's the reward.








Sword Mastery 6 for Judith. It's not gonna matter too much in the future.

Front Guard 9 for Vince. I think I'll leave it there for now.

Flame Grater 1 can't hurt.
AoE is always welcome, and will only become more valuable in the future.

Katya's working towards Analysis.

And Ladette's still working for Action Boost.


How convenient.



Its body is red, as if it had been bathing in blood...
That's an amazin' shade'a crimson.


It may not have much will left to fight, since it is missing an arm as well. Regardless, you must catch up to the fiend and slay it!


C'mon, get over here so I can punshock ya!


...It's too quiet.
Could it have hidden itself somewhere? If you are to search, you must begin where you last detected its presence...


Okay, it was, like, 10 feet tall. How could we have--
Just as you are wondering if you should pick up the hunt elsewhere, you feel a foreboding presence behind you!



SHIT!


Just as you turn to see, a monster bursts from seclusion and slashes viciously at you! The cunning mantis seems to have wrought a scheme to lure you here and spring its trap... Alas, you have fallen for it completely and now have no choice but to fight your way out through your wounds! You see no way to survive the ambush than to fight! Draw your weapons now and face the horror!
Fight...fair!


Well, that's a great way to start a battle.
This is pretty rude, especially if you don't know how the fight itself works.



Bloody One-Arm

HP: 1255
STR: 17
TEC: 8
VIT: 12
AGI: 11
LUC: 7

EXP Given: 600

Skills:Drops:Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 100%
10% 10% 50%
50% 50% 50%
Bloody One-Arm's whopping 17 STR means even Judith and Vince are going to take a pretty big beating from it, to say nothing of Momoe.

Bloody One-Arm's AI is slightly special. I'll explain in a bit.
This fight has a gimmick to it that's not immediately apparent, since doing it without significant issue involves using a command that normally doesn't see much use.

Judith's gonna use Raging Edge until she runs out of TP.

Vince is going to use Front Guard when it's needed.

Momoe sets up Upper Stance.

Any of the tier 1 Formulas would work just as well here. I should've just used Fire Formula for the marginal damage increase.

You're not the only cutter in town!
...Your pickup lines and your one-liners both need work.


Hangin' on, even if by a thread: the Vicious Vinny guarantee.
Y-yeah, thank-- Hack, kaff, kohogh-- Thanks...


Heckuva carapace ya've got! What's it made of, metal?!


Hmph.


This is gonna take a bit.

I know for a fact that this turn is safe, so Vince uses a Medica on Judith.

Momoe's just gonna spam Horse Slash now.

...How do you and Katya do those weird jumps?!


Every other turn, Bloody One-Arm will do nothing. This is why I knew I'd be safe.
A trick to this fight is that you can use Defend on people you know will be instantly killed by it and heal up the next turn and attacking. It makes the fight a little longer, but a hell of a lot safer.

Now you're just a head, wings, and legs.


Do...do mantises have balls?
Can't say I'm really versed in insect anatomy.
Well...even if they don't, this one...does...


But I...barely even started...
Aaaaaaaand there it is, the first official death of the LP.
Case in point.

Since this is a free turn, Vince'll revive Judith.

Wait. Wait wait wait. Etria has medicine that brings back the dead?!
Uh, a-duh? Where the heck did you come from?
A land where you can't come back from death.


Monsters can't come back from death, at least!



So fun fact about Bloody One-Arm and the Blood Plate: neither of them are required for 100% completion, and neither are logged in their respective encyclopedias (the Monstrous Codex and the Item Compendium).
Story bias is rearing its ugly head.


Only now that the fray is over do you recall that you were asked to bring back proof that you have slain the fiend. You break off its signature scarlet scythe as a trophy of your victory.











It seems you've taken care of Bloody One-Arm. We will have the proof delivered to the petitioner. Now, about your reward... This is out of the ordinary, but we would like to present you with a tangible gift.
Money was plenty tangible.
The petitioner is a nobleman who is active in supporting young explorers such as your Tenebris Guild. Since you provided him such invaluable assistance, he has insisted that you be commensurately rewarded. And that is why we offer you your own guild house...the deed to a base of operations within Etria.
...Our own house? Probably outfitted by a nobleman? Heck yeah we'll take it!
This will be a special facility used only by your guild. I'll need you to register a name for it...


I dunno. alcharagia gave it to me in Discord after I said "shit shit shit I need a guild house name."
I called the ship in EO3 "boat" so I can't really say anything.

The nobleman has already prepared a site and staff to run it. But by all means, go to Logjammin and see it for yourselves.






C'mon c'mon c'mon!



...Be still my beating heart.
I am Rosa. I have been directed to assist the members of the guild at this mansion. I will do my best to be of service to you. ...I've received an item from my master to give to you.


Repeat two more times.
Oh, all these pretty stones? Well, I can't--
Knock it off, Momoe.
Here it is. It is known as a Grimoire Stone. Apparently it holds a mysterious power that allows the bearer to use skills from other classes. My master has instructed me on how to manage them, so you can trust me to synthesize and equip them for you.
The ever-infamous Grimoire system. I'll explain the details of it in a mechanics update soon enough.
It's really not that bad! Honestly! I swear!

Logjammin has quite a few functions. We can choose to have Rosa prepare a cordial for us, which will give us some bonuses in the Labyrinth, we can equip/synthesize Grimoires, we can store/retrieve items in storage, and mess with Guild Cards.

The first three Grimoires we're given...aren't particularly good, but they're mainly meant as a jumping off point so our characters can generate new ones.
Resuscitate is a revival source for parties without a Medic or Nectars, at the very least. The sword Grimoire is really useful at this point for sword-based Dark Hunters, since it has Raging Edge on it.

Vince equips the Grimoire with Raging Edge on it.

Katya equips the Grimoire with Resuscitate on it.

And Ladette equips the Grimoire with Take on it.

Rosa only has one cordial for us right now: the Regenurtica, which restores 8% of all party members' max HP at the end of the turn. Eh.
There's much better ones later on.

That music note effect plus a sound effect (that you obviously can't hear) indicate that we've improved our relationship with Rosa.

No, not in the Momoe sense, but in terms of the Guildkeeper Relationship. This is an invisible EXP/level system, kinda, that determines what effects are available to us. Rosa will let us unlock more cordials as we level up our relationship with her.
*twitch*

No-one is ever going to see this Guild Card but me, and yet I still take the time to assign Katya to it.


Mantis Axe (+36 ATK, +3 AGI) is made from 1 Blood Plate (Bloody One-Arm normal). Costs 300 en.


Alright let's get this floor done already, this update's getting very long.

Eep.


Maybe there's something down this--


Never mind, I guess!
The only way to get down this way is by running into the Boulder Boar, which I'm not interested in right now.



Y'think that's enough rock monsters?!
Welcome to the B2F party chamber.

Good find.

B2F B7 Take Point

There, we're done, finally.




Even new adventurers such as yourself can clearly feel the overwhelming sensation... It is the specter of death, looming over you as you prepare to face unknown dangers. Take heed! Beasts red of tooth and claw run rampant here! Fleeing from these creatures is no shameful thing. In these depths, survival is paramount!
...Okay, are we done for the day yet?
I'm gonna say yes.



From here on out, I'm gonna be consistent on showing town dialogue.
No-one's gonna die on my watch. Not after--
The inn stuff?
...Yup.



...Ugh, whatever, I have the text archive right here.
We short on supplies lately, so I han't been able t'make anyt'ing good... Whatever y'find in the forest, bring it here. I'll buy anyt'ing y'bring me!
We already do that.



Ah, yes. Randomly, upon coming back from an exploration, Rosa will start talking to us automatically.

In this case, she gave us an item.
This shit gets annoying really quickly later on, because there's a tendency for them to give you multiples of very cheap items that take up space.

Master and Madam Sheldon both praise my skills, and say that they feel reinvigorated after drinking them. I will be ready to quickly prepare a batch whenever you would like some.
That's her special intro Talk dialogue.

Oh, maybe go on a-- Ow!
You're not hitting on our guildkeeper on my watch.



How come you didn't make them?
What's that? Why don't I make the recipes? ...Heh heh.
...I'm scared now.


Man in a white coat:
Hm? Is that... a Grimoire Stone you have there? I'm surprised to see one here. Have you ever synthesized Grimoire Stones before? I can tell you how to do it if you like.
Oh gods, please, no, I'm so tired...
On the other hand, go on.
You can combine three separate Grimoire Stones into a single one. This is called Grimoire Synthesis. The first Grimoire is the base, which determines the number of skill slots in the final result. You can choose skills from the first and second Grimoires you use to place in the resulting Grimoire. The third Grimoire doesn't carry over any skills, but you can transfer the equipment bonus into the result. If you have the equipment to do so, you should definitely give it a try.
Thank you, Simon.

Leggy dark hunter:
Oh, have you been having fun with the monsters? For example... Have you tried fighting a Reaping Shade?
That giant mantis we just saw? That's a big fat "no."
Reaping Shades are really strong, and scary... But there's a clever trick to defeating them. You'd like to know, right? Oh, I can tell you... But I'm a little hungry right now.
Skewered Mandrake over here, please!
...None of us gave you permission to spend that 10 en on her.
Yes, we have to buy the Leggy dark hunter's advice from her.
It never really gets expensive.
Oh! That's so kind of you! Let me tell you, then. When you're fighting a Reaping Shade, make sure you bind his arms. That way, you prevent its nasty attacks, and if you defeat it like that, you'll get a Tied Scythe! Mmm... Those blades are soooo sexy. You should try getting one, hm hm.
...Is... Is that what's "sexy" here in Etria? Tied up blades?
Can pretty safely give that a "hell no."
Man with thick book:
Rollers use Defense Shell to raise their defense. Mandrakess use Corrosive Aura to lower your entire party's defense. ...Each skill the monsters have was developed to defend themselves against other monsters in the wild. But what if a Mandrake used Corrosive Aura after a Mandrake raised its defense? That's right... The power up would be overridden by the power down. That goes the same for the opposite. If you power up when you're weakened, the buff will cancel out the weakness. If you're having trouble after being weakened, remember that. But monsters can give you hints about what they're going to do... I suggest you watch them carefully.
Friendly landsknecht:
Ooh... You look like someone who just started in the forest. You got "Rookie" written all over your face. Let me give you some advice. You run into a Reaping Shade already?
Pretty sure we did.
There's one right when you reach the third floor, but don't think of taking it on. Running away is important. Take a good look at how it moves. It stops every once in a while, so use that time to slip past it. Heheh, I sound like a real vet. To tell you the truth, I haven't explored all that far myself. Tenebris, was it? Let's both do our best!


More, gimme more text.

Get rich quick II:
Decided to take that request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. This job is from that merchant you worked with before. He was so happy to earn money thanks to that chopping point you showed him, and now he wants to expand. This time, he wants you to tell him where to find a place where he can take materials. He's right over there. Why don't you talk to him yourself?
In a bit.

Subduing the Woodflies:
Decided to take the request, have you? I've been hoping someone would. This is from an apprentice medicine woman. She was somewhere in B2F, gathering medicinal herbs, when she was attacked by Woodflies. She tried going back later, but it seems the Woodflies have set up a little nest there or something. She wants you to get rid of them so she can safely collect herbs from that part of the Labyrinth. The herbs grow on the northeast side of B2F, near the stairway leading down. We're counting on you.
Fairly easy, although you do have to poke around to find the spot a bit.

Request from the pub I:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. If you've read the description, you should already know, but I'm the one who posted that job. You see, my niece is coming to visit, but I have something of a problem. She really liked the perfume I was wearing when she last visited, and she said she wanted some for herself. But I ran out recently, and none of the stores here have any right now. The ingredients to make more can be found in the Labyrinth, but I can't get them myself. So I called for explorers! So, to that end, can you go and take three Tiny Petals for me? You can find them at the taking points in the 1st Stratum. I'm counting on you.
The Byeahs'll make short work of that.

*sigh* I don't have time for this... Ah, you... You're the adventurers who told me about that chopping spot earlier. Did you accept my job this time as well?
Yes.
Well done! I'd expect nothing less from you! You adventurers are so benevolent! But enough small talk. I'm a busy man, need I remind you. Can you tell me of a place on B2F where one can take? I've heard that you can get quite a lot of money by selling what you take from certain areas... Ha ha. Once you've found the place, please come talk to me and show me where it is on your map.


There's one right there.
There, eh? Fantastic! I'll send someone to scout out that location.
Same stuff as last time.







Still, I hope he doesn't go running into the forest without thinking, just because things are going well so far... I'm a little worried about him. But that's neither here nor there. Here's your reward.


Chill Mists reduce ice damage to the party by 50% for 6 turns. Situationally useful!
Mists are very useful in fights with multiple elements being thrown around, since most compositions can't actively deal with multiple types effectively.





More Sword Mastery for Judith.

Gonna get the Walls for Vince now.
One of these will become relevant soon enough.

Horse Slash 4 for Momoe.

Katya finally learned Analysis.

And Ladette has now maxed out Gun Mastery, meaning she can start learning Action Boost.
These characters are pretty much set for the First Stratum.


Basic but sage advice. I guess.



Have we...what?
Actually, never mind. If your explorations are progressing without problems, then all is well.
That's not ominous at all.



Byeahs! Donut Formation!
Donuts. Byeah.
Ah, gods... What even...
Get them away from me, right now.




That'll do.


Bone Mace (+37 ATK, +15 HP, +1 VIT) is made from 3 Monkey Bones (Zebratherium normal) and 5 Hardwoods (1st Stratum Chop 1). Costs 240 en.

Petal Ring (+3 TEC) is made from 3 Tiny Petals (1st Stratum Take 1). Costs 250 en.

Nectar (Revives one dead party member at 20 HP) is made from 1 Amber Lump (1st Stratum Take 3 and Army Wasp/Honey Ant/Pixie/Divine Bee very rare). Costs 300 en.

Bravant (Increases one party member's attack by 30% for 6 turns) is made from 1 Crabapple (1st Stratum Take 1). Costs 400 en.

T'anks to t'Amber Lump y'sold me, I can sell Nectar again! Now, whenever someone in y'guild falls, y'can bring 'em back! But you'd best be careful! I can only make y'one Nectar for every Amber Lump y'sell me! Y'reward's at the pub, so don't forget t'pick it up! T'anks for takin' t'request. If anyt'in else comes up, I'll ask for you.
Byeah.








She was really worried this time, so she was very happy to be back in business. Here's your reward.














Thank you, everyone. This is a big help. My niece won't be disappointed with me now... Thank goodness.
You should, ahem, introduce her to me.
For all y'know, her niece could be, I'unno, 10 years old.
Ehh, Valerie's old enough that maybe--
What? No way. If she gets all moony over you, she's not going to want to spend time with me! So you can just give up on ever meeting her, got it? Knowing that she's coming to see me makes me work even harder. I hope she gets here soon. I can't wait!
You should maybe make the perfume first, y'know.
Oh, yes, that's right. I need to have it ready for her. I know I've already said this, but thank you again. Here's your reward.


Oh boyyyyyyyy, our first disabling weapon. The Dismemberer has an abysmal 10 ATK, but gives a 30% base chance for normal attacks to bind the target's legs.
I've never liked these things, really.





This unlocked after turning in Collect Nectar ingredients!.

A favor to Shilleka I:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. Shilleka's Goods is this town's only weapon and armor shop. When her grandfather owned the store, he used to gather materials on his own and had a wide selection of goods. But since she took over... She does her best, y'know, but compared to the last owner, her selection is...eh. There's only so much one girl can do on her own. Could you help her out if you get the chance? Ask her what she needs in order to get more weapons made.


Can we please just go home already I'm so tired.
Not yet.
Let's see... I got t'list from t'boys in back, so mark t'is down. We need... Monkey Bone x1, and Beast Bone x6! When y'get t'materials, just sell 'em t'me like always.



Guys. Please. I'm about ready to collapse. Please can we just go back to Logjammin and sleep in those nice beds?
After this.
You recognize medical herbs growing all around your feet. This seems to be the place. You reach out to pick an herb. Without warning, Woodflies appear from above and attack you!


Okay.



Okay.




Okay.

Giant Woodfly

HP: 448
STR: 14
TEC: 16
VIT: 12
AGI: 12
LUC: 12

EXP Given: 150

Skills:
Grimoire Skills:
  • Harsh Buzz: Uses the arms. Attempts to bind one enemy's head. Has a 120% speed modifier at all levels.
  • Sleep Powder: Uses the head. Attempts to inflict sleep on all enemies. Has a 70% speed modifier at all levels.
Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 150% 100%
100% 100% 150%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
10% 10% 50%
50% 50% 50%
This thing's actually a pretty credible threat between its STR and Sleep Powder.
Don't underestimate this thing. It hits pretty damn hard and the sleep AoE can be potentially lethal.

Well, it would be, if it had more HP.


It seems you have successfully killed the butterflies that moved into this area. The client should be safe here. All that remains is to report your actions to the pub when you have time.
Are we finally done exploring for the day?
Yes. Gods.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.









The forest is a dangerous place, but there are a lot of useful things inside. Quests like this are pretty common. I know it's tough, but protecting ordinary townsfolk is one of the duties of adventurers here in Etria. Nice job! Here's a little something from me, for all your efforts. Please, take it.





Alright, I'm dead tired, I'm going to bed. G'niiiiiight everyone.
It's...morning.
Don't care.
Well, that was a long update.

Next time: B3F.

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